A518

The Earl of Shrewsbury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will install traffic calming systems on the A518 between Weston-upon-Trent and Uttoxeter in Staffordshire; and, if so, what form such systems will take.

Lord Davies of Oldham: I am very sad to hear of the fatal accident that occurred recently on this stretch of the A518.
	Staffordshire County Council is the highway authority responsible for this part of the A518 and I understand the route has been subject to continuous monitoring as part of an ongoing local road safety programme. As a result the county council will be introducing mobile speed camera enforcement on the whole of the A518 between Weston-upon-Trent and Uttoxeter from Saturday 16 July.

Abortion

Baroness Masham of Ilton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What most recent statistics they have to indicate when abortions take place most often in terms of (a) the marital status of the woman; (b) the age of the woman; (c) the gestation of the pregnancy; (d) the number of previous children borne by the woman; (e) the number of previous abortions undergone by the woman; and (f) the legal grounds under which the abortion was performed.

Lord Warner: The Abortion Act 1967 requires any registered medical practitioner who terminates a pregnancy to give notice of the termination to the Chief Medical Officer.
	The available information for abortions performed in England and Wales is contained in the annual Office for National Statistics publication, Abortion Statistics, series AB; Office for National Statistics and Department of Health, Statistical Bulletin 2003/23, and Statistical Bulletin 2004/14. Data for 1991 onwards can be found on the Department of Health website at www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Statistics/StatisticalWorkAreas/StatisticaiPublicHealth/fs/en. Copies of the publications are also available in the Library.

Abortion Act 1967: Section 4

Baroness Masham of Ilton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When it first became necessary for a physician with a conscientious objection to abortion, who intends to rely on Section 4 of the Abortion Act 1967, to refer a patient to another physician who does not have such an objection; and whether they have any plans to introduce legislation to remove this duty; and
	Whether Section 4 of the Abortion Act 1967 complies with Article 9 (1) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Lord Warner: Section 4 of the Abortion Act 1967, as amended, states that, except where treatment is necessary to save the life of or prevent grave permanent injury to the pregnant woman, "no person shall be under any duty, whether by contract or by any statutory or other legal requirement, to participate in any treatment authorised by this Act to which he has a conscientious objection".
	The House of Lords ruled in 1988 that this exemption does not extend to giving advice, performing the preparatory steps to arrange an abortion where the request meets legal requirements and undertaking administration connected with abortion procedures. Doctors with a conscientious objection to abortion should make their views known to the patient and enable the patient to see another doctor without delay if that is the patient's wish. No recent discussions have taken place between the Secretary of State for Health and leaders of the medical profession on the interpretation of this ruling.
	The General Medical Council (GMC) booklet Good Medical Practice states that general practitioners' views about a patient's lifestyle or beliefs must not prejudice the treatment they provide or arrange. If they feel their beliefs might affect the treatment, this must be explained to the patient who should be told of their right to see another doctor. Breach of this guidance may expose a doctor to a charge of serious professional misconduct and disciplinary action by the GMC.
	The Department of Health has issued guidance on best practice where there are ethical objections to abortion, through the Recommended Standards for Sexual Health Services, produced for the department by the Medical Foundation for AIDS and Sexual Health.
	The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations 2004 include details of additional services, including contraceptive services, which state that "where the contractor has a conscientious objection to the termination of pregnancy, prompt referral to another provider of primary medical services who does not have such conscientious objections".
	It is our opinion that the Abortion Act is compliant with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Anti-social Behaviour: "Respect Agenda"

Lord Peyton of Yeovil: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they are taking to implement their "respect agenda".

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Government are currently considering plans to take forward their work on tackling anti-social behaviour and the wider respect agenda. This important work will be driven by a steering group of Ministers, officials and practitioners to be chaired by the right honourable Hazel Blears MP and an inter-departmental "Respect" Unit.

Asylum Seekers

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 12 July (WA 137), what would be the estimated cost of providing information to the public about the number of asylum seekers who were detained in 2004.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: It is not possible to provide an estimate of the cost involved given that the work required to do so would, in itself, breach the disproportionate cost threshold for answering Parliamentary Questions. However, the need to improve the quality and scope of statistics relating to the numbers of people detained under Immigration Act powers is recognised by the Home Office. Work is being carried out in this area with an aim to publishing available statistics as soon as they of a high enough standard to comply with national statistics protocols and extending the scope of the information covered.

Asylum Seekers

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What records are kept about the detention of asylum seekers under statutory powers.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Various records relating to individuals detained under Immigration Act powers are created and/or held at different locations for different purposes. Under rule five of the Detention Centre Rules 2001 a personal record must be prepared and maintained for each detained person. It follows that records relating to detained persons will be held at individual Immigration Service removal centres and other places of detention. In addition, IND's case information database (CID) and detainee location and management information system (DELMIS) hold information relating to detained persons, which may also be held on the individuals' case files.

Dentistry: Central Vacancy System

Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When the central vacancy system for new dentists was established; how much the system costs each year; how information on vacancies is passed on to new dentists; whether the system includes vacancies in the Community Dental Service and the Hospital Dental Service sectors as well as in the General Dental Service and the Personal Dental Service; and how many new dentists have been placed within the system.

Lord Warner: The central vacancy system for recruiting foreign dentists was established in July 2004. It is operated by Department of Health officials as part of their core duties and does not have a discrete cost. Strategic health authorities pass information to the department for the purposes of matching foreign recruits with an appropriate post. The system includes some community dental service posts but no hospital dental service posts. All 113 Polish dentists have been placed via the central vacancy system.

Department for Transport: Contracts

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many contracts exist between the Department for Transport and the Transport Research Laboratory; and in each case, what is the nature of the contract; what is its financial value; and what is the timeframe for its completion; and
	How many, and what proportion of, contracts between the Department for Transport and the Transport Research Laboratory were placed on a single tender basis; and what is the financial value of each contract placed on a single tender basis; and
	In respect of each contract placed on a single tender basis between the Department for Transport and the Transport Research Laboratory, why the contract was awarded on such a basis.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Information in respect of contracts awarded by the Department to the Transport Research Laboratory has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	In the case of the central department, the figures do not include contracts valued at less than £25,000. Details of these contracts are not held centrally and the information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Details of the reasons for contracts awarded on a single tender basis have been provided where the information is readily available. In some cases the information is not currently held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Many of the Highways Agency contracts are frameworks which have a number of suppliers. In these cases overall values are given rather than just the value of TRL work.

Driving Licences

Lord Vinson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) will issue a replacement driving licence on the basis of a telephone application if the owner purports to have lost both the original and counterpart, but will not issue a replacement on that basis if the driver has retained the counterpart for record purposes; and, where the latter is the case, why the DVLA insists on the driver reapplying by post for a new licence before they will issue a replacement.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The DVLA issues a duplicate counterpart in addition to a duplicate driving licence when the previously issued licence has been declared lost. This is to ensure that both documents hold current information and in particular an identical issue number.
	Regulation 21 of the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations 1999 requires the surrender of the counterpart that has not been declared lost prior to the issue of duplicate documents. This is to ensure that drivers do not possess more than one counterpart.
	As there is no outstanding document to be surrendered to DVLA, drivers who have lost their counterpart and licence may benefit from the immediate issue of duplicate documents via DVLA's telephone application service. A driver who makes a false statement about the loss of both documents in order to be granted a licence is committing an offence under Section 174 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
	The Road Safety Bill includes provisions which will create a new system of endorsement leading to the removal of the counterpart. Once these provisions come into force, any information document issued by DVLA instead of the counterpart would not have to be surrendered.

General Practitioners: Treatment of Obesity

Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the total number of points currently available for assessing practice remuneration under the existing general practitioner's contract; how many of those points are currently available directly for the assessment, treatment or prevention of overweight or obesity; and for what specific purpose those points are awarded.

Lord Warner: There are 1,050 points available in the Quality and Outcomes Framework of which three points are available for the percentage of patients with diabetes whose notes record body mass index in the previous 15 months. The Quality and Outcomes Framework is currently being reviewed by all parties as part of the new General Medical Services contract negotiations led by NHS Employers. The Department of Health has submitted proposals for new indicators on obesity for the expert panel's consideration as part of this process.

Great Heck and Upton Nervet: Vehicle and Train Collisions

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the cost of recent crashes involving vehicle and train collisions at Great Heck and at Upton Nervet; how these costs are broken down between insurance claims, emergency service attendance, fuel costs, traffic delays, and other costs; and who bears each of these costs.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government have made no estimate of these costs.

Hepatitis C Inadvertent Blood Infection

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many applicants to the Skipton Fund for patients infected with hepatitis C as a result of National Health Service treatment with blood or blood products have been successful at (a) stage 1, and (b) stage 2; and
	How many applicants to the Skipton Fund for patients infected with hepatitis C as a result of National Health Service treatment with blood or blood products have been successful in (a) England; (b) Wales; (c) Scotland; and (d) Northern Ireland; and
	How much money has been provided to successful applicants to the Skipton Fund for patients infected with hepatitis C as a result of National Health Service treatment with blood or blood products since it became operational in (a) in England; (b) in Wales; (c) in Scotland; (d) in Northern Ireland; and (e) in total.

Lord Warner: The Skipton Fund has provided information on the number of successful applications. Figures as at 1 July 2005 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Stage One Applications Stage Two Applications Amount Paid 
			 England 2,642 432 63,640,000 
			 Scotland 528 70 12,310,000 
			 Northern Ireland 97 18 2,390,000 
			 Wales 201 29 4,745,000 
			 Number of applicants paid 
			   
			 (United Kingdom) 
			  3,468 549 83,085,000

Hepatitis C Inadvertent Blood Infection

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What recent representations they have received from Mrs Sue Threakall, the widow of a haemophilia patient who died from hepatitis C infection contracted from National Health Service blood products; what reply they are sending; and whether there is any action they will be taking in relation to her case.

Lord Warner: Mrs Sue Threakall has written to Ministers on several occasions over the past months concerning the hepatitis C ex-gratia payment scheme and requesting a public inquiry into the issue of haemophilia patients who were infected with hepatitis C following treatment on the National Health Service. We have asked officials to copy the replies to the noble Lord.

Homicide

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 9 June (WA 96), why constabularies with responsibility for Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester did not compile and maintain information on murder rates within the boundaries of those cities between 2000 and 2004; whether the Home Office has, or can compile, such information for those cities; and whether they will in future ensure that statistics are made available which accurately reflect murder rates.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Individual police forces maintain details of homicides in their respective areas. However, prior to 2002–03, police forces were only required to supply the Home Office with details of the number of homicides at a police force area level. The introduction in 2002–03 of a new crime recording system enabled the Home Office to collect crime data at basic command unit (BCU) level and crime and disorder reduction partnership (CDRP) level. Birmingham, Cardiff and Manchester are all CDRP areas and their murder rates were given in a Written Answer on 04 July col. WA 59. Information for Glasgow is a matter for Ministers in the Scottish Parliament.

Honours Committees

Lord Patten: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Following the announcement of the new chairs of honours committees, when they expect to publish the names of the members of these committees.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The names of all the members of the new honours committees will be announced once the process of forming the committees is complete. It is expected that this will be in August.

Identity Cards

The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether any proposal to cap the charges for identity cards would be consistent with HM Treasury guidelines that costs should be recovered in full and that the methodology of so doing should be transparent.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: In the document Identity Cards—The Next Steps (Cm 6020) published in November 2003, the Government made clear that the costs of the first stage of the identity cards scheme would be met from charging or from departmental budgets. This is consistent with my right honourable friend the Home Secretary's remarks at the Second Reading debate on the Identity Cards Bill which referred only to fees charged to card holders. Clause 37 of the Bill allows for a range of fees to be set for different features of the scheme and for the issuing of passports, not all of which would fall on ID card holders. HM Treasury's guidelines allow for a range of fee strategies, including non-full cost recovery, subject to Ministers' and HM Treasury's agreement.

Identity Cards

The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government
	What they plan to achieve by HM Treasury's study of the costs of the identity card scheme.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: HM Treasury is not conducting a separate study of the costs of creating and maintaining a national identity card. However, as with other policy formulation, the Treasury is contributing to the cross-government cost-benefit analysis of ID cards led by the department leading the policy area, in this case the Home Office.

Inheritance Tax

Lord Taylor of Warwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What they propose to do about the 900 inheritance tax returns which are still outstanding after three years.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Committee of Public Accounts refers to 900 cases more than three years old in its report on inheritance tax published on 12 July. This figure relates to cases not yet completed rather than cases where returns are outstanding: it now stands at 854. The committee refers in its report to the progress already made in reducing the number of long-outstanding cases: this reflects the attention that HM Revenue and Customs has given to this issue, and is continuing to give, when setting its operational targets. Further details will be set out in the official government response which will be published in due course.

Intermediate Care

Baroness Sharp of Guildford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their policy towards the provision of intermediate care in general practitioner beds in community hospitals; and
	Which community hospitals, listed by primary care trust area, provide general practitioner beds for intermediate care in England.

Lord Warner: Intermediate care is provided by multi-disciplinary teams made up of clinical and non-clinical staff from both the National Health Service and social services, and across a variety of settings including community and other hospitals, in purpose-built new facilities, and in the patient's own home.
	The NHS plan set an ambitious target for an additional 6,700 extra intermediate care places by 2004–05 compared to 1999–2000 and £66 million of capital funding was made available to support the development of intermediate care.
	The chief executive's report to the NHS, published on 13 May 2005 in, shows that by the end of March 2005 there were 29,486 intermediate care places in England, 18,095 more than in 1999–2000 and 11,395 more than the NHS plan targets. Of the total of 29,468 places, 8,928 are in residential settings but it is not possible separately to identify which of these are provided in community hospitals.

Justice and Community Safety

Lord Chan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Following the conclusion of their consultation on Inspection Reform: Establishing an Inspectorate for Justice and Community Safety, how many responses were received in favour of the proposed amalgamation.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Government received 83 written responses to their consultation exercise to establish an Inspectorate for Justice and Community Safety. Of those, 40 supported the proposals, 29 were against and 14 did not make clear their preference.

London: Terrorist Attacks

Lord Jopling: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many minutes elapsed after each of the four explosions in London on 7 July before it was established that radioactive material had not been released into the atmosphere.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: It would not be appropriate to provide details about operational and technical procedures and capabilities, as these might prove of potential use to terrorists.

London: Terrorist Attacks

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What assistance has been provided by the United Kingdom's partner security and intelligence agencies in the relevant European Union member states to the investigation of the bomb attacks in London on 7 July.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: While we do not comment on the specifics of intelligence activity or assistance offered by our partner services, I would refer the noble Lord to the Prime Minister's speech to the House on 11 July (Official Report, House of Commons, col. 570): "It was very heartening to see the immediate response of virtually every major intelligence service in the world. They wanted to help and they are now helping. In the wake of something terrible such as these events, there is information that can come to light. There is much that we are doing, both within our intelligence services and in co-operation with others to work on that."

Lord Birt

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government
	On how many occasions since his appointment the Prime Minister's Strategy Adviser, the Lord Birt, has met the chief executive of the National Health Service; and, for each occasion, what were the subjects discussed, where and when; and
	What advice the Prime Minister's strategy adviser, the Lord Birt, has given on issues relating to Government procurement.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Lord Birt provides the Prime Minister and other Ministers with private advice on a range of issues. Information relating to internal discussion and advice is not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of advice to Ministers.

Lord Birt

Baroness Wilcox: asked Her Majesty's Government
	Further to the letter of 5 October 2001 published by the Cabinet Office setting out the terms of the Lord Birt's contract as the Prime Minister's strategy adviser, when the meetings to enable the Lord Birt to brief the Prime Minister on progress and to share developing thinking were held.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Lord Birt provides the Prime Minister and other Ministers with private advice on a range of issues. Information relating to internal discussion and advice is not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of advice to Ministers.

McKinsey and Co.

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	(a) Whether McKinsey and Company Incorporated is currently carrying out any work for the Home Office; (b) how many projects the firm has carried out for the department during each year in the past five years; (c) for each project, how long such work lasted and how many McKinsey and Company employees were involved; (d) what was the nature of the contracts with the company; and (e) what was the total value of payments made by the department to McKinsey and Company Incorporated in each of the past five years.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: McKinsey and Company is currently engaged on work for the Home Office. McKinsey and Company has been engaged on three projects for the department during the past five years as follows.
	Home Office Departmental Reform: McKinsey has supported the Home Office on its overall plan for departmental reform, the design and restructuring of its Group HQ, on its approach to performance management and to develop its people strategy. This project commenced in 2003–04 and continued through to 2004–05 and 2005–06.
	National Offender Management Services (NOMS): McKinsey has supported the Home Office on the organisation design for the new National Offender Management Programme (NOMS) and on the NOMS change programme. The project commenced in 2004–05.
	Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND): McKinsey has supported the Home Office's Immigration and Nationality directorate on its approach to performance management, and on aspects of the five year strategy on asylum and immigration. The project commenced in 2004–05.
	Information on the number of McKinsey employees involved is not recorded centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The total value of payments made in each of the past five financial years to McKinsey and Company is as follows (see table):
	
		
			 Financial Year Fees paid in year £,including VAT 
			 2000–01 Nil 
			 2001–02 Nil 
			 2002–03 Nil 
			 2003–04 £440,625 
			 2004–05 £7,429,621 
			 2005–06 £1,086,875 
			 Total £8,957,121

National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services

Baroness David: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What internal indicators the Department of Health will use to measure the implementation of the Children's National Service Framework; and whether the development of integrated and community-based paediatric continence services will be included; and
	Whether they have set any targets to measure the provision of integrated and community-based paediatric continence services, as described in the Children's National Service Framework.

Lord Warner: The National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services includes a standard on the development of integrated and community-based paediatric continence services. The National Health Service and local authorities will be increasingly assessed by the Healthcare Commission on its progress towards meeting those standards raised in the NSF. However, the pace of change and immediate local priorities will vary so it would not be appropriate to set targets centrally.

NHS Dentistry

Lord Taylor of Warwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they propose to publish details of the new contract for National Health Service dentists.

Lord Warner: On 7 July, the Government published, for full consultation, the draft National Health Service (Dental Charges) Regulations 2006. Draft General Dental Service Contracts Regulations and draft Personal Dental Service Agreements Regulations, and associated documentation, will be available for information at www.dh.gov.uk and at www.primarycarecontracting.nhs.uk as work on these is completed.

NHS: Ownership of Land

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the total acreage of land owned by the National Health Service in (a) England; (b) Wales; (c) Scotland; and (d) Northern Ireland.

Lord Warner: In 2003–04, the National Health Service in England owned or leased a total of 21,467 acres of land.
	Information relating to health services in Wales and Scotland is a matter for the devolved administrations.
	In Northern Ireland, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety has approximately 2,800 acres of land owned by the department and HSS trusts.

Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Ashton of Upholland on 22 June (WA 179), whether the one member of the Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission who is perceived as neither a Catholic nor a Protestant, is a judicial member, legal professional or a lay member.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: It would not be appropriate to provide this information, as it may have the potential to identify the individual.

Pensions

Lord Taylor of Warwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to publicise the changes to personal and workplace pensions, which come into force on 6 April 2006

Lord McKenzie of Luton: Following extensive consultation, the Government have simplified the taxation of pensions with effect from 6 April 2006. The new pensions tax regime will replace the numerous existing complex regimes with a universal regime for tax privileged pension savings. This new regime will provide greater flexibility to some 15 million pension savers.
	We have an external communications plan in place to publicise the key features, changes and benefits of simplification. This will ensure the pensions industry is ready operationally for the new regime, make employers aware of the changes and promote the benefits to individuals of pensions tax simplification.
	We are also introducing a number of administrative changes to pension schemes from April 2006. Regulations implementing the detail of those changes are the subject of widespread consultation between the Department for Work and Pensions and the pensions industry.

Pensions

Lord Taylor of Warwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why the Pensions Commission was not required to include an integrated analysis of all categories of savings, rather than just pension savings, in its report of October 2004.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The commission was not specifically required by its terms of reference to produce such an analysis. Chapter 5 of the commission's first report covered household sector wealth held in property and in non-pensions savings. Following comments that the first report might have reached different conclusions had it ranged more widely across all categories of savings, on 7 July the commission published a paper setting out an integrated analysis of all categories of national saving. It is available on the Pensions Commission website at www.pensionscommission.org.uk/publications/index.asp.

Pensions

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government
	How many employers made refunds of tax to HM Treasury following refunding of pension contributions from pension funds to employers in connection with pension fund surpluses for each year since 1997; and
	How much tax was refunded to HM Treasury following refunding of pension contributions from pension funds to employers in connection with pension fund surpluses in 1997–98; and
	What plans they have to change the funding limit for defined benefit schemes; and
	What estimates they have made of (a) the number of pension funds that will exceed the funding limit next year; and (b) the amount of tax relief which will be repaid in connection with fund surpluses for (i) 2004–05, and (ii) 2005–06.
	What assessment they have made of the amount of tax relief that is repaid by pension scheme members when a pension scheme exceeds its funding limit.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The number of large self-administered pension schemes which have made refunds to employers in connection with a fund surplus on a rolling three-year basis from 1994–95 to 2002–03 are available on the HMRC website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/pensions/table7–7–september04.pdf.
	The tax on these refunds would have been levied at 40 per cent. in respect of payments made to 10 May 2001 and at 35 per cent. for payments made thereafter. No estimates are available for 2004–05 and 2005–06.
	The Government will introduce regulations under Section 37 of the Pensions Act 1995 as amended by the Pensions Act 2004 to provide that a payment of surplus may be made to an employer only where an actuary has certified that the scheme is funded to full buy-out—that is, that the assets are sufficient to secure the scheme's liabilities through the purchase of annuities—and where the trustees are satisfied that the payment to the employer is in the interests of the members of the scheme. There is no "funding limit" in Pensions Act legislation to make such a payment if the scheme is funded to this level; the regulations will be permissive.
	The existing tax legislation on pension fund surpluses will be replaced by the new, simplified tax regime for pension saving which comes into effect from 6 April 2006. This new regime sweeps away the numerous existing complex tax regimes and replaces them with a single universal regime for tax-privileged pension savings. One consequence of the new regime will be to remove the existing rules requiring pension fund surpluses to be repaid to sponsoring employers. Where, in line with the new Pension Act regulations, a surplus is repaid to an employer there will be a tax charge at the rate of 35 per cent. on the pension scheme. This change will mean that there will be no funding limit for 2005–06.
	If an occupational pension scheme exceeds its funding limits this does not lead to tax relief already given to members being recovered from them. Although there are limits, under the tax current regime, on contributions that can be made to personal pension schemes, there is no funding limit.

Pensions

Lord Taylor of Warwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How they intend to persuade more companies to automatically enrol workers into pension schemes in companies where group personal or stakeholder pensions already operate.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: There is growing evidence that using automatic enrolment (or "opt-out") is one of the most effective ways of increasing levels of workplace pension scheme membership. On 12 July we published the guidance, Automatic enrolment in workplace pension schemes: guidance on the regulatory framework, to show companies which want to provide their employees with good pension provision how they can use automatic enrolment to help more of them to make the most of that provision. Employees will be able to opt out of the scheme if they prefer, whether to make alternative provision or otherwise.
	The guidance specifically addresses concerns within the financial services industry that it is difficult, under current regulations, to use automatic enrolment in group personal pensions (GPPs) or stakeholder pensions (SHPs) and sets out the Government's view of the circumstances in which automatic enrolment into workplace GPPs and SHPs can be used within current regulations.

Post Conflict Reconstruction Unit

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How long the Post Conflict Reconstruction Unit has existed; and what plans they have for its future.

Baroness Amos: The Secretaries of State for International Development, Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Defence announced their intention to form the Post Conflict Reconstruction Unit (PCRU) by means of a Written Statement on 16 September 2004. Since then, in accordance with its mandate, the unit has begun to develop its capacities to plan for and support post-conflict stabilisation activities across government, and is building up a database of experts who could be deployed into post-conflict situations. The unit is expected to be fully operational by mid-2006.

Racially Motivated Incidents

Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have any concerns about the level of racially motivated incidents and crimes against people of Chinese origin in Wigan, Glasgow and Northern Ireland; and, if so, what action they intend to take; and
	What steps they will take to ensure that the statutory agencies respond adequately to the problems experienced by members of the United Kingdom Chinese communities as a result of racially motivated incidents.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Government and police are aware of the concerns of Chinese communities and the situation is carefully monitored in co-operation with community organisations. The Government condemn and deplore all racially motivated incidents and crimes against members of any community. Such attacks are an issue for all sections of society and appropriate action is taken at strategic and operational level by government departments, statutory agencies and a range of community partners. We have introduced a range of measures to combat hate crime including specific offences with increased maximum penalties for racially aggravated violence, harassment and criminal damage introduced in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998; and sentencing guidelines on aggravating factors in Northern Ireland. We encourage local crime and disorder reduction/community safety partnerships to work closely with the police to ensure that those who commit crimes are brought to justice. We encourage all victims to report such crimes so that they can be dealt with and appropriate preventive measures put in place.

Railways: Level Crossings

Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the maximum speed at which a train can approach a level crossing on the high speed network; what is the estimated stopping distance and time required to stop a high speed train travelling at such a speed; and what is the minimum time specified to commence closing of barriers and to warn vehicles on a crossing.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Health and Safety Executive advises that trains are allowed to approach closed full barrier level crossings at a maximum line speed of up to 125 mph and half barrier level crossings at a maximum line speed of 100 mph.
	The stopping distances required to bring a train to a halt will depend on different factors, including the type of train involved, the type of brake application and the geography, layout and condition of the track.
	The HSE publishes guidance on level crossings which advises that at automatic barrier and half barrier crossings the time elapsed between the amber light of the road traffic light signals starting to show and the train arriving at the crossing should be not less than 27 seconds. In general, the barriers start to lower seven to nine seconds after the start of the amber road lights, and are fully lowered between 13 and 19 seconds after the start of the amber light.

Road Safety

Earl Peel: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What guidance they have issued to each police force in England and Wales regarding the enforcement of existing laws to tackle (a) inappropriate or excessive speeding; (b) the use of illegal number plates; and (c) the fitting of illegal noisy exhaust systems by motorcyclists.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: There has been no such guidance. This is an operational matter for individual chief officers of police.

Road Safety

Earl Peel: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What discussions they have had with the Association of Chief Police Officers or the Chief Superintendents Association of England and Wales regarding the problem of (a) inappropriate or excessive speeding; (b) the use of illegal number plates; and (c) the fitting of illegal noisy exhaust systems by motorcyclists; and what plans they have for further discussions.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Department for Transport discusses road safety, including the issue of inappropriate or excessive speeding, regularly with representatives of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). ACPO are members of the department's project board for the Safety Camera Programme and the Road Safety Advisory Panel. ACPO, in partnership with the Department for Transport and the Home Office, have produced a joint roads policing strategy issued January 2005 in which speed enforcement is highlighted as a priority.
	The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) meets regularly with police representatives through its police liaison group and through other forums such as the Vehicle Crime Reduction Action Team and the Vehicle Crime Action Group, where the use of illegal number plates and other matters are discussed on an ongoing basis.
	DVLA issued a public consultation paper Review of the Registration of Number Plate Suppliers in December 2004. Among those consulted were (ACPO), the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, the National Criminal Intelligence Service, the Police Superintendents Association of England and Wales and the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents.
	ACPO were represented on the Advisory Group on Motorcycling where illegal noisy exhausts have been discussed.

Road Safety

Earl Peel: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have a strategy to tackle the problem of (a) inappropriate or excessive speeding; (b) the use of illegal number plates; and (c) the fitting of illegal noisy exhaust systems; and, if not, what plans they have to develop one.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government's road safety strategy and casualty reduction targets—Tomorrow's Roads—Safer for Everyone published March 2000, sets out a 10 year plan to improve road safety. The strategy addresses a wide range of road safety issues including inappropriate or excessive speeding. The strategy includes over 20 proposals on speeding including revising guidance on setting local speed limits, which will be issued later this year, and the setting up and nationwide roll out of safety camera partnerships. The first three-year review of the strategy was published in April 2004. This set out progress so far and includes measures to deliver further improvements in speed awareness and speed management up until 2010.
	In respect of illegal number plates the Government's strategy is to take action against motorists who display illegal number plates and to introduce new legislation to prosecute suppliers who sell them.
	The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001 specify the typeface, colouring and the British Standard that number plates must conform to. Failure to display plates that conform to these regulations is an offence subject to a maximum penalty of £1,000. In practice, the offence is enforced by police officers issuing a fixed penalty notice resulting in an on the spot fine of £30.
	In addition, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency may withdraw any vehicle registration mark that is illegally displayed. A joint initiative between the agency and the Association of Chief Police Officers was introduced in 1999. Under this scheme, the police notify DVLA of number plate offences and DVLA warns offenders that any repetition will result in the registration mark being permanently withdrawn from use.
	The Road Safety Bill, currently before the House of Lords, would make it an offence to sell a number plate that does not comply with regulations relating to the display of registration marks.
	Powers are available to tackle the problem of illegal noisy exhaust systems. Under the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, Regulation 54 requires that "every exhaust system and silencer must be maintained in good and efficient working order and shall not after the date of manufacture or be altered so as to increase the noise made by the escape of exhaust gases". Under Regulation 97 it is also an offence "to use a vehicle in such a manner as to cause any excessive noise which could have been avoided by the exercise of reasonable care by the driver". Enforcement of these requirements is by the police and in the case of maintenance, at MOT.
	For motorcycles; it is an additional requirement that after-market/replacement silencers must not be sold or fitted unless they bear an appropriate approval mark that differentiates between acceptable and noisy silencers. Silencers marked "not for road use", or similar, are illegal if used on public roads. Due to safety considerations and the practicalities of enforcement at the roadside, such markings are not required in the case of other vehicles.
	Powers are available to local authorities to prevent or abate noise nuisance from any vehicle in the street. These powers are generally applied to stationary vehicles.

Rural Maps

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the written Answer by the Lord Bach on 29 June (WA29), whether the quality assurance checks covered all of the input; and what level of correction was found to be necessary by (a) the external contractor; and (b) the Rural Payments Agency.

Lord Bach: Quality assurance checks were carried out throughout the digitisation process. On average, the level of correction under a) was 10 per cent. For b) the level of quality assurance checks was set proportionally depending on the experience of the operators and the complexity of the case. These checks ranged from 100 per cent. to 5 per cent. and all incorrect cases were corrected on the spot.

Squirrels

Earl Peel: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Whitty on 10 January (WA 19–20), when they intend to publish their policy document Grey Squirrels in England—Policy and Action.

Lord Bach: Following the full assessment of the responses to the consultation exercise the Forestry Commission decided that further development of the policy and action statement was necessary before submission for consideration by Ministers. We are now expecting that a policy and action statement will be published in the autumn.

Tax Credits

Lord Taylor of Warwick: asked her Majesty's Government
	Why, in 2003–2004, 1.9 million tax credit awards resulted in the overpayment of benefits and 719,000 awards in underpayments.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The tax credits system is designed to respond to changes in claimants' circumstances. If changes are not reported or processed promptly there will be an under- or overpayment at the end of the year.
	The majority of overpayments for 2003–04 arose as a result of increases in income, though some overpayments were the result of the much-publicised IT and processing errors that occurred when the system was introduced two years ago.
	The Child and Working Tax Credits Annual Statistics for 2003–04 published on 1 June 2005 explained that most underpayments at 5 April 2004 arose where drops in income between 2001–02 and 2003–04 were not reported until 2004–5. The statistics are available at www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm.

Tax Credits: Helpline

Lord Taylor of Warwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why they employ 3,200 civil servants to administer the Government's tax credit helpline.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The helpline is staffed so it can handle high volumes of calls. A high percentage of tax credits claimants prefer to make contact by telephone rather than in writing. Callers can ring the Tax Credits Helpline at the weekend, as well as during the week, any time between 8 am and 8 pm, 362 days a year. The helpline aims to achieve a level of performance in line with industry standards. This means all callers getting through to an adviser on the day of their choice.

Tax: E-commerce

Lord Taylor of Warwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What amount of tax they estimate was lost during the last financial year due to e-commerce.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: It is not feasible to measure the extent of non-compliance associated with e-commerce traders.

VAT

Lord Taylor of Warwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they propose to prevent non-European Union retailers selling products valued at under £18 to United Kingdom consumers without charging VAT.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: Import VAT is not chargeable on commercial consignments of goods with a value below £18 that are imported into the UK from outside the EU. The Government are aware that some non-EU businesses are making VAT-free sales of certain goods to UK consumers, and are keeping this issue under close review.

Vehicle Excise Duty

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will address the different levels of vehicle excise duty paid by United Kingdom registered lorries and non-United Kingdom registered lorries during the period leading up to the proposed introduction of road user charging; and, if so, how.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Decisions on taxation are a matter for the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who keeps all taxes under review as part of the usual Budget process. In determining appropriate levels of vehicle excise duty (VED) for all road users, the Chancellor will continue to take into account all relevant environmental, social and economic factors, including the competitiveness of the UK haulage industry. Levels of VED for UK lorries were significantly reduced in 2001, and have not increased since then.

Wales: Governance

Lord Prys-Davies: asked Her Majesty's Government
	What criteria must be satisfied before the Secretary of State for Wales will "refuse to lay a draft Order in Council before Parliament" (Better Governance for Wales, Cm. 6582, paragraph 3.20); what the mechanism will be to resolve a dispute when the Assembly Government do not accept the Secretary of State's reasons for his refusal to lay a draft order before Parliament; and, if they have decided there is to be no such mechanism, on what grounds they justify such a decision.
	 Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.

Lord Evans of Temple Guiting: The Government do not intend to set criteria for agreement or refusal to lay a draft Order in Council before Parliament; each case will be considered on its merits. The Government believe that the requirement to publish the reasons for refusal will ensure that the Secretary of State will have good grounds for taking such any such decision.

Working Tax Credits

Lord Taylor of Warwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they propose to transfer the administration of working tax credits from employers to HM Revenue and Customs.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: Payment of working tax credit via employers is being phased out between November 2005 and March 2006.